"Strongest evidence to date for life beyond the solar system"

A planet 124 light years away from Earth has provided the strongest evidence that life on another planet outside our solar system is possible.

Scientists reached this conclusion after using the James Webb Space Telescope to observe a planet named K2-18 b. Their observations reveal the presence of two chemical fingerprints of gases on the planet that, on Earth, are produced solely by biological processes: dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide.

According to Professor Nikku Madhusudhan, the astrophysicist from the University of Cambridge who led the observations, this is the "strongest evidence to date for a biological activity beyond the solar system". However, he urges caution and further investigation is needed to understand what this observation means.

The scientists emphasise that they have not found living organisms but that a biological process on the distant planet seems possible. According to Professor Nikku Madhusudhan, this could be a "tipping point" in the search for life beyond the solar system.

(PP with DC - Source: Reuters, Guardian - Picture: © DPA picture alliance / Newscom | NASA)